I'll Follow the Sun......

Well, it looks like we are going to be doing a little traveling. Our neighbors and us will be heading south into California. We are going to chase the sun for a few weeks. It makes the winters more bearable here. Having lived in California most of my life I must say I really miss the sun in the winters here. So we are going to leave in a week or so and while we are down there we'll see family and maybe a few friends. I am looking forward to it.

I also got a call this morning while I was in a yoga class. I ignored it so nobody would know the idiot who left their phone on was me. : ) When the class was over I retrieved my voice mail and it was my grandson. I called him back and he told me his girlfriend is pregnant. They are very young, he is 18 and she is 16. They are very excited so I didn't want to be a mood killer so I was as positive as I could be for them. He does have a job at a market but no driver's license or car. Oh boy. Guess I am going to be a great grandmother now.

Well, the sun is just peaking out of the fog so I am going to see what I can do while it's shining.

To Do List....

I want to remember to do certain things every day. Sometimes I use a to do list. I find if I make out a to do list, it gives me the incentive to get some of those things on it done. Ordinarily I would forget to do any of those things and focus on the day to day things like laundry, vacuuming and dusting, etc. I would like to make a To Do list of things I want my hubby to do. It would be as long as my arm. LOL Someday he will get inspired to do some of the things he hasn't finished, or start some of the things he has bought tools or parts for. I don't want to nag him but sometimes it gets frustrating to see unfinished things in the house. For instance, 2 years ago he decided to remodel our master bathroom. He and a friend who is a retired contractor tore the bathroom apart in one day. Then they redrywalled it and textured the walls and that was it. It stayed that way for almost a year. Meanwhile we had a toilet, shower enclosure, shower door, sink, cabinets, etc. in the garage. Now is has been 27 months and we have the room painted, the floor tiled and the sink, toilet and tub enclosure in. The shower doors haven't been installed yet, the towel racks are on the floor still the tp holder is also on the floor. The toilet has been shut off because he said it started leaking and he wants to replace the wax ring underneath it. What can I do to motivate this I man??? He spends the day sitting in his recliner watching television. I can't seem to get anything done myself because he is here all the time!! I can't get him to come to the gym with me. He says he is going to use our treadmill in the garage but it's freezing cold in there right now. Instead of finishing some of the things that are piling up to do, he buys new things to add to the list of things he wants to do. I love him to pieces but I worry about his inactivity. He has started eating a little better and isn't drinking the sodas he used to drink before he found out he was diabetic, but he needs to exercise. That will make him feel better and also make him want to do more. But I can't force him to exercise. So I just grit my teeth and don't make waves and just do my thing and try to be encouraging. Grrrr!

God love him. I am certainly not perfect either but I would love to have our house finished at least. I have said enough and don't want to make it sound like I am married to a flake because he is a great guy and I love him. Now I am going to make out my own To do list for today........

Shoot the Scale

This is the way most of us feel this time of year. Some of us are actively watching what they eat and making sure they are doing some sort of physical activity. Then others are already "off the wagon" so to speak. Taking the necessary steps to lose weight are not easy but the smallest change in your daily way of life can point you in the right direction. If you start out by cutting out sugar or white flour, or if you make an effort to to get in something physical you are on the right path. Professionals say the most important thing is to get moving. Get off that couch and start doing something to elevate your heart level. If you park your car further away from the office or the mall and force yourself to walk further is even a benefit. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator is another way. If, however you are terribly out of shape and get winded by the simplest exertion, you have to start very slowly. Having been in this position for the majority of my adult life I have to say this is true. The physical part of fitness is extremely important. I can't tell you how much better I feel after I finish a workout and I actually look forward to my workout each day. I never thought I would be saying this but it is true. In the past I would join an aerobics class and kill myself trying to keep up with the group. All I would achieve was sore muscles and back and a feeling of failure because I would quit after a few classes. It took a while but I finally learned that taking it slowly was the way to go. Starting slowly by walking at a slow pace and a short distance is all you need to do as a start. Your body will respond and you'll begin to feel stronger and be able to increase your distance and your speed. After you get into the habit of doing something physical daily you too may find that it makes you feel better. Your breathing improves and your stamina is better. I'm writing this today in the hopes that my husband and a couple of my family members will take these small steps to improving their health. I am not an expert by usual standards but in my own way I am a bit of an expert. I've been there. I know the feeling of having my legs feel like lead weights are tied to them when I tried to walk. I know what it feels like to gasp for air after the slightest bit of exertion. I also know how it feels to begin to see an improvement in my strength and stamina. This is something we all know, but maybe it isn't. Not everyone knows this stuff and maybe someone reading it will take the steps to start getting fit and living a better life.

Just Another Saturday Morning...

I had a good night's sleep last night. Chloe usually wakes me at around 3am to go out and by the time I get back to bed, I can't go to sleep again. Last night she woke me at 1:30am and I had no problem getting back to sleep. She then slept with us until almost 7. I have been really tired the last week or so because of that.

I am getting very frustrated with the gas prices here in our little town. The crude oil price went up this past week about $6 a barrel and immediately our local stations jacked their prices by 20 cents a gallon. Then the crude price dropped a couple of dollars but the stations didn't drop back down. Why is it that the stations don't wait more than about 30 seconds to raise their prices when the crude price increases and wait a week or more to lower them when crude prices drop???? We are located in the southern part of the state and our prices are the highest in the state. Okay, I am off my soap box.

I've been a little lax the last couple of days and haven't posted. I had nothing to say I guess. Or at least nothing of interest happening in my life. I finally saw Australia the other day and I really enjoyed it. Today we are going to see Clint Eastwood's movie Gran Torino. It looks good from the trailer I saw at the movies the other day. The weather was to have been sunny this weekend but that all changed yesterday. Now they say it will be very cold and foggy. Oh boy!! Better get out my light box that I bought. I got one of those lights that is for the winter where the sun isn't out much. I haven't tried it yet and I guess this is the time to do it.

Hump Day

Here is what my baby looks like when she is in need of a grooming. She has an appointment tomorrow. She has the neatest personality. Keeps us laughing all the time. Her hair usually stands up on top but when it rains she loves it and just walks around and sniffs the ground and comes in soaking wet. Her hair gets heavy and falls to the sides. It stands up again when it dries if we brush it. Obviously this time we didn't brush it. I had my neighbor (82 year old widow) call me a little while ago to tell me she saw me going out this morning and couldn't believe how much weight I've lost. It made me feel really good. I actually haven't lost more than a pound or two since I saw her but I guess she just didn't notice. We've had a dry couple of days and tonight the rain is supposed to start again. Last week our rivers were all getting higher but now they've gone back down close to normal. The temperature today was 50. I didn't even need a jacket. I was wearing a sweatshirt and I was warm enough. I am making some beef stew for dinner tonight. Comfort food. Good for a rainy night. Well, I need to go and check it so I will send this off.

This is another of my violets. I didn't make an entry yesterday because I was busy with other things around here. I also am very tired today. I haven't been sleeping well. I am waking with acid reflux lately. I am frustrated. Since my last fill I have had to take meds for acid reflux. My surgeon said that it would stop as I lost weight but it seems worse now. I made an entry on LapBandTalk.com today asking if anyone else is having this problem. There are many who are I found. Some of them suggested what they have used to alleviate the reflux. One person suggested a tablespoon of cider vinegar before going to bed to neutralize the acid. Another said it sounded like I am too tight and need a slight unfill. I haven't had a fill since August and it doesn't seem like that would make a difference to me, however I didn't start getting this until after my last fill. I am wondering if the reason I can't eat in the morning is because I am swollen around the band from the reflux all night. This can't be good for me. I've tried lots of acid reducers and am now taking a combination of those and PepcidComplete. I still have to take a Tums during the night as I start coughing and can feel the gurgling in my stomach. Yuck!! Do any of my Sisters in the Band have any suggestions?

1st Sunday in January

Here is one of my violets in bloom. I've had quite a bit of luck with violets the last several years. I move them from the east window shaded by a big oak to the north windows depending on the time of year and they bloom profusely. I really like transplanting them and splitting them when they multiply.
We spent most of the afternoon at the emergency room with some dear friends. He has had a bad back for several weeks and nothing has helped him. He tried going to the chiropractor and that didn't seem to help. He also just got back from driving down to California and back to do some plumbing work on his rental property. When he got home he was really hurting and he couldn't get out of bed this morning. His wife couldn't persuade him to go to the ER so she called us and my hubby convinced him and drove them. So after sitting in the ER for 3 1/2 hours he came out with more meds and an appointment for an MRI. He was also told to stay in a prone position on a hard surface for the next 3 days or until he feels a little better. They were very grateful for us taking them. My husband is very thoughtful that way. He will do anything he can to help someone. Even those he hardly knows. He is a good guy and I am very lucky.
It's been very cold here all day. It's usually in the mid 40s this time of year and it was the mid 30s today. I think the highest it went was 40 degrees for a short time. Brrrr! I know some states get much colder than that but we aren't used to it that cold here. But then, my husband was wearing a short sleeved shirt and shorts today. He is nuts!! What can I say except his thermostat is out of whack!!